The principle of articulated steering has led to the consequence in vehicles, and especially self-propelled construction machines such as wheel loaders, transporters, vibrational rollers or similar construction machines, that chassis frames, which usually comprise rigid drive axles, are provided with substantially improved manoeuvrability. This manoeuvrability is produced by dividing the frame. While the front axle is usually connected to the front frame part, the combination of articulation joint and pendulum joint, which may also be referred to below as articulated pendulum joint, ensures permanent ground contact both of the front and also a rear axle which is suspended on the rear frame part.
In the case of articulation-steered vehicles and vehicles steered by articulated pendulum joints, in particular, the front frame part and the rear frame part are connected to each other via a rigidly arranged articulated pendulum joint. As a result, such a vehicle can be steered about an articulation or steering axis extending substantially perpendicularly to the surface of the ground, wherein a relative pivoting of the front frame part in relation to the rear frame part about a steering axis extending through the articulation joint is possible. In order to achieve improved ground contact especially in the case of rigid axles, and, in particular, in the case of road surfaces that are very uneven, the articulation joint is mostly combined with a pendulum joint as already explained above, so that a torsional movement of the front frame part relative to the rear frame part is at least possible within a limited angle. Such a joint is described, for example, in EP 1111134 A2.
Such vehicles steered by an articulation joint, and especially vehicles with an articulated pendulum joint, are very reliable. However, a relatively large free space is required by the combination comprised of the articulated pendulum joint in order to prevent collisions between the front and rear frame part in the case of full steering and pendulum angle.
The tipping resistance is disadvantageous in such vehicles, especially in the turned-in state. Furthermore, unsteady directional stability of the machine may further occur under certain circumstances as a result of the division of the axles.
It is a further disadvantage that very high loads occur on the outside wheels as a result of the very narrow turning radii, which loads may lead to damage to the road and also very high loads on the material.
A road roller with an articulated pendulum joint is known from EP 1111134 A2, in which the articulation joint is bridged by a coupling rod mounted in an articulated manner. The coupling rod produces an inclination between the front and rear frame part of the road roller during a steering process.
A wheel loader with an articulation joint is further known from DE 1241719 B, whose axis is inclined in the forward direction. Pendulum compensation occurs via the rear axle, which is arranged in pendulum fashion about the longitudinal axis of the vehicle.
DE 202005021280 U1 describes an all-terrain vehicle in form of a harvester with an articulation joint which comprises a rotational axis which is slightly inclined in the forward direction.
It is the object of the present invention to provide a joint arrangement and a vehicle with such a joint arrangement which allows improved driving characteristics in combination with a simultaneous reduction in the machine loads and which further allows a more compact overall configuration.